HandBrake vs Shotcut (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HandBrake and Shotcut share a 2.8 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick HandBrake if
- Fits if you need to shrink or convert video files and don't want to pay
- Works for people who run batches of files overnight
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to edit, as it doesn't combine clips
- Skip it if your video is copy-protected, because it doesn't work with DRM
- Watch out: supported hardware starts at 16 GB of memory for 1080p and 32 GB for 4K
- Tight if you want a phone or browser version, since it's desktop only
Pick Shotcut if
- Fits if you want a no-cost editor for Windows, Mac or Linux and don't mind learning a timeline
- Works for people who edit offline and don't want a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want templates, AI captions or one-click social videos, as the features page lists no AI tools
- Not for you if you work in a team on the same project, since there's no cloud collaboration
- Too light for people who rely on VST2 or LV2 audio plugins, which are still work in progress
- Watch out: Windows 7 and 8 stop at version 22.12.21 and macOS 11 and earlier get older builds
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHandBrakeGood | 2.8GPAShotcutGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, with no account, and anyone can download and run it. | AFree to download, with no paid tier. A program anyone can download and run counts as free. |
| Free plan and trial | ANothing to pay for at any point, with no caps or watermark mentioned. | ANothing is locked: no trial, no watermark and no paid tier on the page. |
| Features | CConverts most formats with AV1, H.265 and H.264, presets, filters, subtitles and a queue. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller job than a video editor, and it can't combine clips. | CTimeline editing, 4K, capture, audio filters and subtitles, but the features page lists no AI tools or cloud collaboration, and VST2 and LV2 plugin support is still work in progress. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Encoder and quality settings have a learning curve beyond the presets. | CNo store rating on record. A full timeline editor has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CDesktop only: Windows, Mac and Linux, plus a command-line version. | CWindows, Mac and Linux, which counts as computers only. No web or phone version. |
| Best for | converting video files for free | a free desktop video editor |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HandBrake and Shotcut. How we grade
Price against what you get
HandBrake has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shotcut has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than HandBrake for less, and none scores higher than Shotcut for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- HandBrake also covers file compression.
- Shotcut also covers screen recording.
In commonFree planmacOSWindowsLinuxOpen sourceVideo editing
At a glance
| HandBrake | Shotcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free and open source, with downloads offered at no charge and no paid tier listed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | The HandBrake Team | Meltytech, LLC |
| Price read from | handbrake.fr | shotcut.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HandBrake
- It converts video only; the project says it does not combine clips, so editing needs other software.
- It does not work with DRM-protected video or copy-protected discs.
- Officially supported hardware starts at 16 GB of memory for 1080p and 32 GB for 4K.
Shotcut
- Windows 7 and 8 users are limited to version 22.12.21, and macOS 11 and earlier to older builds.
- VST2 and LV2 audio plugin support is listed as work in progress.
- Versions are numbered by date and new releases arrive about every two months.
- The features page lists no built-in AI tools or cloud collaboration.
Key features
HandBrake
- Format conversion
- Converts most common video files, plus DVD and Blu-ray sources without copy protection, to MP4, MKV or WebM.
- Wide encoder choice
- Video encoders include AV1, H.265, H.264, VP8 and VP9, with optional hardware-accelerated encoding.
- Device presets
- Built-in presets for phones, tablets, TVs and consoles, with basic and advanced settings to adjust them.
- Quality and filters
- Constant quality or average bitrate encoding, plus deinterlacing, denoise, cropping and scaling filters.
- Subtitles, chapters and audio
- Handles VobSub, closed captions, SSA and SRT subtitles, chapter markers and audio passthrough for several formats.
- Queue and command line
- Batch scan and queue several encodes, and a separate command-line version is offered for download.
Shotcut
- Wide format support
- Edits hundreds of audio and video formats through FFmpeg without importing, and mixes resolutions and frame rates on one timeline.
- Capture
- Records screen, webcam and audio, and takes input from Blackmagic Design SDI and HDMI devices, JACK and Pulse audio and network streams.
- High-end video
- Handles 4K and 8K, 10-bit end to end, HDR10 and HLG, alpha-channel files and tone mapping from HDR to SDR.
- Audio filters
- Includes scopes, volume control and filters such as compressor, equalizers, noise gate, limiter and RNNoise noise reduction.
- Subtitles and export
- Creates and imports SRT, VTT, ASS and SSA subtitles, and exports EDL, single frames and image sequences.
- Dockable interface
- Panels for playlist, filters, history, encoding and jobs can be docked or undocked, with drag-and-drop from the file manager.
Plans
HandBrake
Free$0
Free and open source, with no account required; installers for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Shotcut
Shotcut$0
The full editor, free to download for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HandBrake or Shotcut?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both HandBrake and Shotcut are free to use.
Which has a free plan, HandBrake or Shotcut?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both HandBrake and Shotcut have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.